Feb 03, 2014

The family of structural fasteners includes all of the many types of hardware that can be used to attach two different materials together. Materials included in the average fastener kit include nuts, bolts, screws, and washers. If you are planning any small home improvement or large-scale construction projects in the near future, it is a good idea to know some of the most common types of fasteners and how they are used.

  • Nails: Nails have smooth shafts and flat heads. They are used without accompanying nuts. In addition to fastening different surfaces together, they can be used to hang items from a wall or post. Nails work best with soft and malleable materials like wood since the act of hammering them in requires considerable force. 

  • Screws: Screws are the threaded version of nails, meaning that they have a spiral groove cut around the shaft. They have more gripping power than nails on most surfaces, but they often need to be inserted into a hole that has been pre-drilled, requiring more prep and tools.

  • Bolts: Bolts are screws that come with a companion nut to hold them in place. This means that they must pass completely through all the materials being fastened and come out the other side so the nut can be screwed into place. These are good structural fasteners for attaching large sheets of material. 

  • Anchors: Anchor bolts are screws that are used specifically for attaching structures to a base made of concrete, metal, or another very hard substance. Once in place, they are not intended to be removed easily, and they can resist a great deal of force and erosion without breaking or loosening their grip. 

  • Pins: Pins are relatively small and delicate fasteners that are used to secure machine parts to each other. They are inserted into pre-cut holes in the machine, and they provide a sturdy grip, but can also be removed fairly easily for cleaning and repair.

Whether you are working on a large construction project, or a small home renovation job, it is important that you know what type of fasteners to use. Call (800) 603-6887 today for information about the wide variety of structural fasteners available at Copper State. 



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